IT Certifications. Do Certifications Have Value?

A question I receive consistently when making a presentation on IT certifications. Do certifications have value?

How can being Certified Benefit Me?

There are certifications in most technologies and disciplines, collectively hundreds.

Provided here is a list of several types of Certifications:

• PMP – Project Management Professional
• MCSE – Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer
• CNE – Novell (Netware) Certified Engineer
• CCNA/E – Cisco Certified Network Administrator/Engineer
• Information Systems Security Certifications
• Certification in Object and Structured programming languages
• Database Certifications (e.g. Oracle, Sybase, SQL, etc.)

Being certified benefits you in several ways:

• Having the certification/being considered qualified (you just have to the job well:-))
• Higher salary possibility being certified (although in these times individuals salaries and hourly rates are lower, you can still get several thousand dollars more and 6-12K or more a year)
• Keeping up with technology, including leading edge/changes (ensuring skills are up-to-date)
• Gaining knowledge for cross certifications in addition to certification in your specific discipline (increase your professional value)
• Negotiating for a higher salary (used to indicate knowledge gained)
• Having the basic/required knowledge (maybe not experience, but with experience adds value)
• Shortens your job search (many employers require that prospective employees and contractors be certified)

Cost of certifications can be several hundred to several thousand dollars depending on the technology or discipline. We all know sometimes when working for a company you may discover that other individuals make more money than you and hopefully it was never discovered through unethical or illegal means. Most occurring through the normal process of interpersonal relationships and social gossip (:-)), which leads me to the following.

Over the past several years, several individuals who were not certified stated they had uncovered that they were not paid as much as some of their peers but had the same background and experience. I asked them how they knew, and stated, “It may be true but may not\”, but by not being certified and using it to negotiate, they may never know why. Do you want to be in that position? What can\’t be taken away from you is your education, training, and certification(s) (unless you fail to keep current), you earned them, and they prepare you for that “opportunity” to increase your income! It’s your choice.